Mother's Film Gives Attention Where Due

Personal Stories Tell Of Life With Add

August 15, 1999|By Nancy Ryan, Tribune Staff Writer.

To a romantic, Dustin Feldman's childhood antics would have seemed worthy of Huck Finn.

But to his Glencoe family living in the midst of Dustin's constant forgetfulness and rambunctiousness, his behavior caused terrible struggles and frustration. Some of his capers were downright terrifying--such as the time he climbed to the top of a tree when he was 2.

Dustin, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a toddler, is now 24. Today, some of those memories are still raw for Feldman, who wishes she and her husband, Michel, knew as much about the disorder then as they do today.

Two decades ago, there was far less information and research on ADHD, which, as recently as the 1960s, was still called "minimal brain damage."

The Feldmans' interest in the disorder remained strong primarily because Dustin never outgrew it--a far more common scenario than previously believed.

While reading the well-received book, "Driven to Distraction," in which Drs. John Ratey and Edward Hallowell document the challenges of adults with the disorder, Feldman came up with a radical idea in early 1998.

She would do a documentary on adults with attention deficit disorder, both those with and without hyperactive tendencies. A speech pathologist and teacher of the learning disabled, Feldman also has a Glencoe-based business in which she moderates and facilitates public programs on family issues.

But despite such an impressive resume, Feldman had never tried her hand at filmmaking. Even so, Feldman felt so strongly that more of the estimated 12 million American adults with ADD need to hear about treatment for the disorder, she decided to plow ahead.

The 28-minute film, "Outside/In," was finished in June and screened for the first time July 23 at the summer symposium of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) in Schaumburg.

Immediately well-received, the documentary is already being seriously considered for national distribution among affiliates of American Public Television, according to Nelsa Gidney, a programming executive for the network.

"The personal stories are really powerful," Gidney said. "It gives you an indication of how pervasive (ADD) really is."

Feldman spent most of 1998 conducting her own research, tracking down experts and raising $125,000 for the film. To direct the film, she hired her brother, Ted Kay, who has already done documentaries for his Northfield company, TMK Video Productions. Maureen Murnane, also with TMK, conducted the on-camera interviews. TV and film actress Mariette Hartley, who was recently diagnosed with ADD, is the host.

With her limited budget, the novice filmmaker knew she could not afford to fly around the country to meet and interview the top researchers in the field.

Feldman, however, serendipitously learned from Peter Jaksa, a Deerfield clinical psychologist and president of ADDA, that another prominent organization, the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, was hosting a conference in New York City in the fall of 1998. There, she was able to interview heavyweights such as Hallowell.

Her main goal for the documentary was to draw attention to the importance of getting a diagnosis and the hope that comes with getting treatment. While the film briefly addresses the controversy surrounding the use of stimulant medication for ADD, it states that most experts believe it's helpful.

However, the film never mentions Ritalin by name and it highlights the importance of other treatments such as talk therapy, help with organizational skills and even hiring a coach to help stay on task. Neither does it refer to Adderall, another stimulant for ADD, though its manufacturer, Shire-Richwood Pharmaceuticals, donated funds to the film.

The most compelling moments are the stories of ordinary adults, many of them from the Chicago area, such as Feldman's son Dustin, who were interviewed with the downtown lakefront or other familiar landmarks in the background.

In one touching scene, Carolyn O'Neal, principal of a Chicago-area elementary school for 11 years, is shown telling her staff for the first time that she has ADD.

Despite a successful career in education and enrollment in her second doctoral program, O'Neal talks of constantly feeling inadequate. "People see an accomplished person, but I never felt successful inside," O'Neal says.

The characteristics of the disorder in adults are different from those in children. Instead of the need to engage in constant movement, as often seen in youngsters, adults suffer from problems with organization, memory, planning and follow-through, according to experts in the film.

Often impatient and impulsive, some engage in risky activities to work off inner tension.

Personal relationships suffer because many miss important social cues or blurt out tactless comments before realizing the hurt they cause loved ones.

"The internal remote control is out of control" for those who suffer from ADD, narrator Hartley explains, and most "wish they could put their remote control on pause."

For more information on "Outside/In," contact the Video Learning Library at 800-383-8811, ext. 186.